B1 Preliminary Practice Exam (PET) READING

Name: .............................. Mark: ............

Part 1
Questions 1-5
Look at the text in each question. What does it say?

Choose the correct letter A, B or C.

Example:
A Remember to buy your ticket when you get on the ferry.
Please purchase tickets
B You should buy your ticket before getting on the ferry.
0 at the office before
C The ferry won’t leave if you haven’t got a ticket.
boarding the ferry.

A Rob is enjoying his holiday.

1 B Rob loves rainy weather.
C The weather has spoiled Rob’s holiday.

EXPERIENCED The shop needs:

SALESPERSON NEEDED
A full-time salespeople to sell men’s clothing.
2 TO SELL EXCLUSIVE
B salespeople with experience to work part-time.
MEN’S CLOTHING –
AFTERNOONS ONLY C a young salesperson to start work immediately.

A The swimming pool will be heated on Tuesday afternoons.

3 B Swimmers may use the other pool on Tuesday afternoons.
C On Tuesday afternoons, swimmers can’t use the heated pool.

CLOSED BETWEEN A Library books may be returned through the letterbox over the
Saturday 5 pm weekend.
4 and Monday 9 am.
Please return library books
through the letterbox.

B The library is closed from Saturday morning until Monday

Andrew, evening.
Please take my books back
to the library before you go
C Return library books before 9 am on Monday.
5 to your basketball practice.
Thanks,
Mum
A Mum wants Andrew to take his books back to the library.
B Mum asks Andrew to return her books to the library.

 Advanced Think Ahead 3 Photocopiable © Burlington Books  1

B1 Preliminary Practice Exam (PET) READING

C Mum tells Andrew to go to basketball

practice before he
goes to the library.

 Advanced Think Ahead 3 Photocopiable © Burlington Books  2

B1 Preliminary Practice Exam (PET) READING

Part 2
Questions 6-10
The people below are looking for houses to buy. On the next page, there are descriptions of eight
houses. Decide which house is the most suitable for the buyers. For questions 6-10, mark the
correct letter (A-H).

6 Monica is looking for a house in the country. Her hobbies are painting and
cooking. She wants a place where she can take her dogs for long walks.
She enjoys entertaining and having visitors to stay.

7 Dave and Sue are a young couple who are planning to have a baby. Sue
wants a house near some shops. Dave works in the city and he loves
building and repairing things. They have just bought their first car.

8 Alice manages a large computer company and she also works on the
Internet at home. Alice works long hours and doesn’t have time for
housework. She likes eating out and often goes to the theatre or cinema.

9 Mandy and Alan are looking for a house out of town. Mandy’s a translator
and she works from home. Alan is a travelling salesman. They both love
sailing and spend their weekends on their sailing boat.

10 Tom, a widower and a pensioner, is a very keen gardener. He doesn’t want

to live in town any more. Tom is looking for a small house in the
countryside so that his grandchildren can visit in the holidays.

 Advanced Think Ahead 3 Photocopiable © Burlington Books  3

B1 Preliminary Practice Exam (PET) READING

HOUSES FOR SALE

A SUNLIGHT
Designed and built by an architect, this ultra-modern home in the countryside has got walls
made entirely of glass. The indoor courtyard is home to many exotic plants that need light and
protection from the elements. Its location makes it suitable for people who work from home.

B TOP VIEW
Situated on the top of a hill, this three-bedroomed cottage in the countryside overlooks
beautiful scenery. Top View is a 20-minute walk from the sea through woods and over natural
grassland. The old farm kitchen has recently been modernised and is fully equipped for
entertaining.

C SAFE HARBOUR
A delightful old fisherman’s cottage, Safe Harbour overlooks a sandy beach. This
three-bedroomed house has recently been renovated and all modern conveniences were
added. It has a study and a sun porch and is two kilometres from the motorway and ten
minutes from the marina.

D GARDENSIDE
This pretty two-bedroomed cottage is half an hour out of town. It is surrounded by
a well-cared-for garden with lots of fruit trees. It has got a large lounge with the original
fireplace. Gardenside is a fifteen-minute walk from the Manor Horse Riding School, which
caters for adults and children.

E 29 FINCH ROAD
Near restaurants, shops and cinemas, this first-floor flat has got a balcony that overlooks
the beach and the marina. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large lounge and
a well-equipped kitchen. There is underground parking for cars and a roof garden for
entertaining.

F 17 CRANBERRY DRIVE
This pleasant semi-detached house has got two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. It’s in
the suburbs, close to bus lines, a tube station and the new shopping complex. A separate
storeroom, which has been used as a workshop, is attached to the garage.

G MAGNOLIA
This is a pretty semi-detached home with a well-developed garden. Magnolia is close to the
main shopping road and on the bus route into the city centre. There are four bedrooms with
a large kitchen and dining area. There is a school and a church around the corner.

H 76 ABBEY COURT
Centrally located, this modern flat is ideal for a single person or a working young couple. It
overlooks the city’s entertainment district. One bedroom has been converted into a study with
Internet and cable TV facilities. A service company provides cleaning on a daily basis.
 Part 3
Questions 11-15
Read the text and questions below.

For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D.

WINDY SPIRIT
My name is Selwyn Dobkins and I crossed the Pacific
Ocean, solo!

I was still recuperating after my motorcycle accident when

saw Windy Spirit for the first time. I knew little about boats,
but I liked what I saw. In January 2000, I bought the 27-foot
yacht, not realising that sailing would change my life.

I had a feeling that Windy Spirit and sailing would help me

recuperate, because sailing was the therapy I needed. I took
Windy Spirit out on the water almost every day, but sailing
up and down the coast of California wasn’t enough. In my
heart I knew that we’d go on a long journey one day.

In April 2004, we sailed out of San Diego into the Pacific

Ocean. Windy Spirit and I were on our way to Hawaii,
a distance of 2,168 nautical miles. Alone on the water for
20 days, where the only signs of life were fish, dolphins and
birds, I learned that the journey is more important than the
destination. It wasn’t easy and there were times when I was
lonely, but in the end, Windy and I did it!

Windy Spirit and I were a wonderful team. We looked after each other all the way. In Hawaii, I sold my boat
to a man and his wife, who was recovering from an injury. It was the right thing to do. I was sure that sailing
in Windy Spirit would help her heal, just as it healed me.

11 Why has the writer written this article?

A to explain about long distance sailing and yachts

B to describe the trip from California to Hawaii

C to give us an idea of what it is like to own a boat

D to tell us how important sailing became in his life

12 What can you learn about the writer from the text?

A He is still recuperating from the accident.

B He always wanted to go to Hawaii.

C He was determined to get better.

D He has always been an experienced sailor.

13 The writer’s main belief is that:

A sailing was the best therapy for him.

B everyone needs to sail in order to recuperate.

C sailing is only for people who know about boats.

D a long journey is better than a short one.

14 How did Selwyn feel at the end of the trip?

A that he didn’t want to be alone any more

B proud to have completed the journey on his own

C that Hawaii is a long way from California

D that he was tired of sailing

15 What might Selwyn say to other sailors about a long journey?

Don’t try to cross the ocean

A alone. It’s dangerous.
Sail every day so that you have enough
B experience for a long journey.
When you are sailing, the destination is
C less important than the journey.
Travel with friends so that
D you won’t be lonely.
 Part 4
Questions 16-20
Read an article about an environmental project. Five sentences have been removed from the
article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which best fits each gap. There are three extra
sentences which you do not need to use.

The Environment Club: Our First Project

by Stephanie Shaw

I had always cared about the environment, so when my biology teacher suggested creating an
environment club, I was the first to join. Every Wednesday afternoon, we spent hours thinking
about ways to protect the environment. I had seen videos of people walking along beaches with
bags full of rubbish on the Internet. I wanted to do something similar. Next to our school, there is
a garden. According to my biology teacher, the school’s students used to use it in summer.
Unfortunately, now it is full of litter. 16
1
However, we also wanted other students to participate. That’s why we made posters encouraging
them to volunteer for the clean-up. 17 One student even said that his dad could provide the
equipment. This was wonderful, because
1 in order to clean up areas safely, you need to wear
special gloves and use special bags which won’t tear.

We nearly had everything organised when we realised that we didn’t know if the garden was
open to the public. 18 Luckily, our school organised this by contacting the mayor’s office.
The council were pleased
1 that we wanted to help.

The clean-up day arrived quickly. I was nervous that people wouldn’t come, but over 70 students
participated in the event. 19 The clean-up ended only a couple of hours later, after we had
collected around 50 bags of 1 litter. We found lots of plastic wrappers and bags, empty bottles and
even old clothing. There were also some building materials which someone had thrown there.
20 Soon after, the council would come to remove them. After we had finished, the garden
looked like I’d imagined it to be in the past. We were proud of our work, and it’s given us the
confidence to start planning an even bigger project.

A This meant we were much quicker than I had imagined.

B Surprisingly, after just one day, we received lots of offers to help.
C But we couldn’t think of anything which could work.
D I suggested cleaning it up as our first project, and the club members agreed.
E We thought it could be a beautiful place.
F We avoided these, because we knew they might be dangerous.
G In addition, there wasn’t much to do.
H Maybe we needed special permission.
 Part 5
Questions 21-26
Read the text and choose the correct word for each space.

For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Example:

0 A know B think C believe D wonder

Gretna Green

Every year, more than 4,000 couples come to the Scottish village of Gretna Green to
get married. Why do you (0) ............... this village is so special?
In 1754, England (21) ............... a law that changed this sleepy Scottish village forever.
The law stated that people (22) ............... the age of 21 couldn’t marry without the
permission of their parents. But this law didn’t apply to Scotland, where (23) ...............
people could get married at 16. So what did couples do if they were in love and not yet
21? They ran away to Scotland, (24) ............... ! Gretna Green became a very popular
place for (25) ............... . Stories tell us of lovers who travelled many days and in
difficult conditions to get there. Today’s laws are different, but the (26) ............... of
“running away” to Gretna Green is still popular for young couples who want a romantic
wedding with a difference.

21 A received B passed C accepted D decided

22 A under B at C over D by

23 A middle-aged B young C old D adult

24 A in fact B really C of course D actually

25 A celebrations B events C occasions D weddings

26 A thing B thought C idea D plan

 Part 6
Questions 27-32
Read the text. For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.

Smart Cities
by Janet Watson

I (27) ............... just finished working (28) ............... a really interesting school project
about the future. According to experts, in 30 years’ time, two thirds of the population
will live in cities, and the cities of the future will be a lot more advanced than cities are
today.
Future cities, which (29) ............... actually called ‘smart cities’, will think and react like
a human brain. For example, they’ll use biotechnology and robotics (30) ............... build
homes, offices and shops without help from people.
These buildings will operate more efficiently (31) ............... today’s buildings do. They’ll
produce their own energy using solar windows. (32) ............... the buildings have extra
energy, they’ll transfer it to other buildings and even to vehicles in the area. Smart
cities sound amazing, don’t they?